A Day At MacKids

Well Yesterday was another day spent at MacKids (McMaster Children’s Hospital) with Liam. This time, however, he was just “acting” as a brain tumour patient. We were filming scenes for a documentary that will tell his story on the MacKids Celebration Telethon that will be held May 31st, on CHCH TV in Hamilton. Liam is actually the poster child for this year’s Celebration fund raising campaign and so we have had photo shoots, radio interviews, newspaper interviews, documentary filming and will be on live television. Liam is becoming a bit of a pop star celebrity! It got me thinking about how Canada is home to some world renown children’s hospitals, and McMaster Children’s Hospital is certainly one of them. We are so grateful that MacKids is here, and for the amazing work that they do. Being in the hospital again, in the intensive care unit where Liam spent the first days following his two surgeries gave me pause to reflect. After having spent two weeks with Liam in a children’s hospital I can tell you that there are few clearer places to see the front line battle against evil. When you see pain and suffering, especially when it involves young children, it can be almost overwhelming. I know that for many being confronted with evil, pain and suffering leads to doubts about the goodness of God, or about God’s existence at all. I can certainly understand. It seems so unfair, so pointless and just so wrong. But I found myself asking why do I think it is wrong? Why do I think it is so horrible and unjust? There is something deep inside me that refuses to accept that suffering, tragedy or injustice is just a part of the natural world, just natural selection going about its course. Without my belief in God however, that may be all that I am left with. If natural selection or survival of the fittest is all their is then pain, suffering, injustice and death would be perfectly normal and I could not say that there was anything horrifying about it at all. As I stand around in the intensive care unit of a children’s hospital, however, I feel disturbed by the suffering of the children, my heart breaks for the parents who have to watch their children in pain and I feel in awe of those doctors, nurses and medical personnel who have devoted their life to fighting such a worthy battle. When I feel such things I know that I am judging the world around me by some standard that lies outside of just the natural world. I believe that it is not God’s heart, that it is not how things are supposed to be and that God has every intention of doing something about it. I have come to believe that there is evil and suffering in the world. My faith does not always provide me with the reason for all the cases of suffering I see. I wish that it did, but it does not. What it does provide me with, however, is the assurance that what I see around me is not what God intended. It gives me the assurance that God loves people and wants the best for them, despite what the circumstances may seem at any particular point. It also gives me the hope and the promise that the world won’t go on in this broken state forever but that one day God will do something about it. And in the meantime I can do my best to represent God’s heart and fight the battles against evil and suffering, and support those who are doing the same.
If you are interested is hearing the radio interview that we did I have posted in to my Myspace page, the link is below: www.myspace.com/jasonmcgibbonproject

Don't forget to watch CHCH TV on May 31st for the telethon and please consider giving to MacKids.